2013-03-06

3/06/2013
Department of International Affairs - Democratic Progressive Party

Ideal vs. Reality:
On the Topic of Taiwan

By Irene Pang

The
article read: “Why Ang Lee’s Oscar puts identity center stage?” I clicked open
the article and began to read.

The
article travels back in time to the night of the Oscars, where Taiwanese
Director Ang Lee won his second Best Director Oscar for “Life of Pi.” Whether
or not you smiled upon hearing the result or frowned because Steven Spielberg
did not win (or had no reaction whatsoever because you had not gotten over the
fact that the much-acclaimed Director of Argo, Ben Affleck, was not nominated),
there was one thing you could not possibly deny: that 8617 miles away, in a
small island the size of Maryland and Delaware combined, approximately
23,268,087 people unanimously rejoiced at Ang Lee’s win. The small island, dear
Reader, is Taiwan, a highly marginalized nation of warm-hearted people who
celebrates democracy, freedom of press, and tolerance of differences, while
embracing the island’s unique historical and cultural legacy. As the article
states, Taiwan is one of the most marginalized nations in the world, with only
23 official diplomatic allies, which consist of other marginalized nations in
Africa and Central America. Ever since Taiwan lost its membership in the United
Nations to China in 1971, the country has become that bird in a cage, whose
soul both flares and flickers because its vitality is brutally constrained and
its full potential is ruthlessly hampered.

With
its status in the international community teetering on the verge of the abyss,
Taiwan has come to regard moments like Ang Lee’s win as its last chance of
getting its voice heard loud and clear in the international stage; after all,
aren’t we all in this world together? Discover what remains of us after
stripping down differences in language, culture, ethnicity, and religion and
you will not be surprised, I hope, to find out that at the fundamental level,
we all share the same identity as humans and possess basic human rights. If the
inhabitants of Taiwan deserve recognition in the international community as
individuals, the country itself ought to occupy its own place on the global
stage.

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I
eagerly consumed the article like a starving child who had not been fed for
days. After I finished reading the article and shared it on my Wall, I was
determined to continue from where I’d left off. Just as I was about to place my
iPhone down and to carry out my chore, I was interrupted again: this time, by a
friend’s message in my Facebook inbox. I clicked open the message and read: “Hey
Irene! Could I ask you for your opinion on Ma Ying-Jeou?” Ah, yes, my opinion
of Ma? (In case some of you may not know, he is the current President of
Taiwan, as much as I hate to admit).

To
get things straight, I am in support of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
because I identify myself more as Taiwanese than Chinese and I am a huge
proponent of democracy, which I value deeply. President Ma, in my opinion, does
not endorse the views of Taiwanese citizens because he aligns himself more with
China, which has had a long history of bullying and tormenting Taiwan by
denying it as a country because China still regards Taiwan as part of its
territory (which I find quite incredible, since Chinese Nationalists had
retreated to the island after losing the Civil War against Mao’s Communists more than 60 years ago). Yet,
Ma did win the 2012 presidential election against the DPP’s candidate Dr. Tsai
Ing-wen, which made me wonder just
what exactly do the people on the islandwant?

Ma’s
primary supporters consist of the middle to upper class citizens, the segment
of population that increasingly conducts businesses with China because of its
looming status as a superpower backed by a robust economic growth. Indeed, we
see the center of international system gradually shifting away from American
hegemony to the emerging power of the east, China, which boasts remarkable
economic growth on a large landmass and will eventually surpass the United
States to become a global hegemon. As a small island located right next to this
menacing power (powerful states are generally viewed as threatening according
to the realist notion of balance of power, which I endorse), Taiwan’s best
strategy is to maintain a positive relationship with China and to leverage its
unique geographic position—essentially, Taiwan is a stepping stone to Southeast
Asia and a buffer between China and the other great power, the U.S. While the
idea to foster a peaceful relationship with China seems reasonable, the move
comes at a significant cost to Taiwan. By fostering closer economic (and
political) ties with China, Taiwan is essentially auctioning off its very
existence by yelling, “Going Once. Twice. Sold… to China.” The island’s very
identity is put at risk because a closer economic relationship naturally leads
to a closer political relationship. And guess what awaits at the end of this
journey that seeks to cultivate a “positive” cross-strait relationship?
Complete unification (surprise surprise!). While it is not likely for
unification to take place during our lifetime, it is, however, a reality that
may happen not far in the future (by not far, I mean in about 100 years,
perhaps).

So
here is the real conundrum: do people in Taiwan value their sense of identity
more or their flow of income? There seems to be a trade-off between
strengthening Taiwan’s identity as a culturally-rich democratic nation and
reaping business profits. Nowadays, unfortunately, it seems that people will
rather deepen relationship with China in order to gain economic yields than to stand
by their own nation and to serve as the defender of democracy.

Why
care about identity and values if you cannot secure wealth and a steady (if not
growing) economy? That is the philosophy of the majority of middle to upper
income families in Taiwan.

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In
such a manner, I explained to my Chinese friend my views on Ma and Taiwan’s
challenge via iPhone (no, I did not type out everything I wrote up there on my
iPhone—that would be torture).

Hence,
good dreams—dream, yes, by tomorrow I will be able to say that: